


Rule Four

by tchele



Category: NCIS
Genre: Other, Team as Family, spoilers for 16x13 She
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-19
Updated: 2019-02-19
Packaged: 2019-10-31 14:40:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17851469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tchele/pseuds/tchele
Summary: Post “She” 16x13 fic Ellie invokes “Rule Four” in the aftermath of the last scene of “She” major spoilers for that episode if you haven’t seen it





	Rule Four

Ellie Bishop’s thoughts were racing, and had been for hours. When she left Ziva’s office, note in hand she started driving. She knew this secret was more than she could handle on her own, but she wasn’t sure who she should approach. Her heart and her head were at war, she knew her best friend was trustworthy and a vault, but she also knew that she couldn’t keep this from her boss, not after everything they had been through lately. It was well after midnight when she found herself walking into Gibbs house and down the basement steps.

“It’s late Bishop. What are you doing here?” Gibbs asked when he saw her, the strain of the last few days evident on both of them.

“I don’t know. I’ve been driving around for hours trying to decide what to do with some new information.” Ellie answered.

“I thought you were headed to see Hill at the hospital. Did something happen?” Gibbs asked.

“You could say that.” Ellie answered with a sigh.

“Have a seat. Start at what happened at the hospital.” Gibbs said.

“I went to the hospital to read the letter to Hill. I told him I had a letter to read from Morgan’s mother and I was going to read it to him, and he was going to listen. Before I could start he told me he had already heard it. That someone had already come to read it to him, and that she told him she was going to haunt his dreams. Then he pointed to the letter on his table. I looked in the notebook and the page was missing except for a small corner and look, it fits.” Ellie replied as she showed him the notebook.

“So what are you saying Bishop?” Gibbs asked.

“When I left the hospital I went back to Ziva’s office. I don’t know why, but it was like something was drawing me there. When I got there it was unlocked, and I went in and something was different, things were in different places. I found this on her desk under the scarf.” Ellie answered as she pulled out the note.

Gibbs took the note and read it. 

“I couldn’t keep this to myself, it’s too big and too much. I have someone else I could have told, who I know wouldn’t say anything, who I trust implicitly, but I knew I couldn’t keep this from you. Not after everything the last few days. So I’ve just been driving around for hours, my mind racing and going over this case. I don’t know what to do, tell me what to do. Please.” Ellie pleaded.

“You forget you ever saw this.” Gibbs replied as he took the paper from her hands.

“I can’t Gibbs. I can’t forget. She’s alive, Ziva is alive. We have to help her, Gibbs we can fix this.” Ellie suggested.

“Let’s say she is alive, this is not something you can fix, and even if you could, you won’t find her. Six years ago she disappeared, it took Dinozzo months to find her, and you aren’t Dinozzo. She’s Mossad, if she doesn’t want found she won’t be, but if you pursue this you put her daughter in danger. That’s her family. Tali and Dinozzo and Senior, she already lost her mother, her sister, her father all she has left is them.” Gibbs declared.

“You and Tim too. You are her family.” Ellie replied quietly. “Tony has to know, right?”

“If Ziva thought the only way to protect him and their daughter was to keep him in the dark she would.” Gibbs answered carefully.

“But if Tony had the chance of having her in his life he would keep her secret.” Ellie said with a sigh.

“Which is what we are going to do.” Gibbs replied. “We are going to honor her request.”

“I wish I could have learned from her.” Ellie confessed.

“You have Bishop, you have.” Gibbs replied.

~fin

**Author's Note:**

> Rule 4: "The best way to keep a secret? Keep it to yourself. Second best? Tell one other person - if you must. There is no third best."
> 
>  
> 
> I’m not sure how I feel about this fic, but it begged to be written and I got some encouragement to post it. I hope it’s enjoyable...


End file.
